A motor vehicle inspector (MVI) issues thousands of driving licences a day as against the prescribed optimum of 30 licences, but all that is set to change.
The culprit behind 70 per cent of the road accidents that claim over 1.4 lakh lives annually being drivers, the Centre aims to tighten the process of issuing licences uniformly across the country.
Upset with the States for their failure to appoint the requisite number of MVIs to appropriately deal with the growing demand for issuance of licences, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has constituted a committee to suggest guidelines for sanctioned strength of personnel for discharging this duty in particular.
Apart from issuing the learner licence and driving licence, the MVI is responsible for registration of vehicles, checking their fitness, inspecting an accident and providing cars for election purposes.
President of the All India Federation of Motor Vehicles Department Technical Executive Officers’ Association Ashfaq Ahamed, who is a member of the committee, said the report was likely to be submitted to the government within three months.
Time for tests
The committee will evaluate the time required to complete each test or event that those seeking licences will have to undergo and which the MIV is supposed to diligently supervise. There are about 24 tests that each aspirant is required to undergo, with each test lasting no less than 30 seconds.
These tests of skill, knowledge and public road test require no less than 12 minutes and that will not permit any MIV to assess and clear more than 30 licences a day, but in some cases it surpasses more than 5,000 a day. More than one crore driving licences are issued annually in the country.
The norms will be suggested separately for the automated licences and the ones issued manually.
The Centre also wants to set the minimum educational qualification for officers manning the Motor Vehicle Department.
